Wal-Mart Employees Test Mobile Checkout System in Arkansas

New system would allow customers to scan as they shop

Some Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) employees in Arkansas are testing a mobile checkout system called “Scan and Go” that could cutback on time spent in cashiers’ lines, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Here’s how it works:

Shoppers will be able to use their smartphones to scan items as they peruse the aisles.

Next, shoppers can pay for their items at the self-service kiosk without having to scan them again.

That’s it. Goodbye long lines.

Current Wal-Mart employees from one store are testing the system to see whether or not it’s user-friendly.

If the system works, it will save the chain a lot of money. Wal-Mart says it could save $12 million a year for every second it can cut from the checkout process in the U.S. alone.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the company spends $12 million a second on cashier wages, per The Wall Street Journal‘s original story. The Journal has since corrected its story, and we have followed suit.